Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: c.hinton who wrote (1140)	7/17/2008 2:12:30 PM
From: DMaA	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3816

Exactly which system are you referring to?

To: c.hinton who wrote (1140)	7/17/2008 2:14:10 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3816

Any human institution is run by fallible humans, and so is itself fallible. That includes corporations, or even more generally "the market". But it also includes politicians and regulators. "If the natural tendencies of mankind are so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that the tendencies of these organizers are always good? Do not the legislators and their appointed agents also belong to the human race? Or do they believe that they themselves are made of a finer clay than the rest of mankind?" — Frédéric Bastiat, from "The Law" -- Politicians and regulators face the checks of 1 - Other politicians and regulators opposing them, and 2 - Elections (directly eliminating the politicians from office, and indirectly eliminating the top regulators, the ones that are political appointees), and 3 - Violent resistance or overthrow of the government (which is typically only an important check, when their are no free and fair elections to peacefully replace the politicians. Corporations, speculators, etc. face the check of competitors and of market disciple. In the majority of cases when your dealing with production, distribution etc. of goods and services, the market is both a more efficent check, and one that allows for more individual freedom. Which is not to say that no economic decision should ever be politically made or influenced, only that there should be a lot of skepticism behind any proposed intervention, barrier, bailout, subsidy, targeted tax, etc.